Definitely get the frame sliders. I got my license on Thursday then got a 2007 Ninja 650r on Saturday. Dropped it Monday in my school's parking lot and just dropped it again tonight. It's been a rough first week for me, but I'm glad I had the frame sliders to save it.

You will drop it. Get frame sliders. Even if you don't drop it with you on it, you'll drop it. You'll forget to put the kickstand down, or you'll be too scared to stay on it after you let the clutch out and it'll jump out from under you. Get frame sliders.

Do most people here on reddit drop their bike when starting out? Everyone always say you WILL drop it. I've never come close to dropping a bike really.

EDIT: this got a little more attention than I had anticipated.

My dad has been riding pretty much his entire life. A few years ago he was able to pick up his dream Ducati 996.

He rode it to see a race at Laguna Seca. After the race, while everyone was leaving, he hopped on and started to ride away. He got three feet and remembered the hard way that he had put a chain lock through the front wheel. The wheel seizes up, the bike goes over and throws my dad off. In front of EVERYONE in the parking lot. Smashed up the fairings pretty bad. All of this at around 2mph haha.

So I guess dropping a bike can happen to anyone at any skill level, at any time. Be careful out there, guys!

I would say there's probably a 95% chance that any rider will at one time drop or wreck a bike. Sure, you haven't dropped yours, but are you done riding yet?

I dropped my first bike my first day out when my clutch surprised me at a stop light. I wrecked that same bike pretty badly a month or two later. Never dropped my second bike, but I figured it was time for a nice bike when I got my third since I had spent the previous 2 seasons being very careful and gaining a lot of experience. Always very careful with it, but one day it was raining and my boots were wet. I thought I put my kickstand down but it actually just slid right off the top of my boot and I dropped it in the parking lot at work.

I've been borrowing my dad's different bike for the last 6 years. I learned on his Honda VTX. REALLY surprised I didn't drop that one. It's a 700lb beast. It's basically like trying to learn how to drive in an old 1960s Lincoln. Awesome bike though. I wish he still had it. More recently I've been riding a Buell XB12s, Ducati 996 and Triumph Firebird.

I'm hopefully going to become a first time owner in the next couple f weeks. I'm checking out a KTM supermoto this afternoon!

Yes. I dropped mine within a week of getting it. Was starting to rain so I decided it would be a good idea to try to put it inside the kitchen from my back patio.... Needless to say I underestimated the weight of the bike and awkwardness of trying to maneuver it when it was slick. Was just a noob moment.

Dropped mine cutting a U-ie on my road (dumb, no damage). Almost dropped it the same day at a gas station when I forgot to put the kickstand down (REALLY fucking dumb and embarrassing. Filled up quickly and GTFO). Haven't come close since.

ok, semantics. firstly, are you everyone? no. secondly, "you will drop" implies an impending event, while "everyone drops one" implies that at some future date, looking back, one would find that every rider has been down at least once. It's passive voice, and that convoluted implication is why WORD attempts to get you to correct them.

IMO, people are shortening what i quoted into "Everyone drops at least once" and people seem to think it's an absolute rule, which we all know don't exist.

that mis-statement isn't entirely invalid, but it's easy for people that haven't been down to assume that since they haven't dropped or wrecked, that they are the exception that disproves the rule.

Which is why the formal, full version of it is more accurate.

There are two types of riders. Those that have been down and those that will go down.

Since you have yet to join the former, you must be a member of the latter. There are no other options.

I didn't "drop" my bike, but I did park it behind my truck after getting parts, and forgot to move it when I was done... ended up backing my truck off the ramps and onto my bike. Broke my windshield, but overall she was Ok.

I dropped the bike my dad ended up handing down to me, years before he did. I was in the garage and decided to sit on it, pull the kickstand up and rolled the bike a bit. Then...plop. He never found out, or maybe did and my punishment was giving me that bike instead of sports bike like I wanted lol.

I used to have one, and they are still made. Instead of being called a Savage, they're called a Boulevard S40. The handlebars are mildly different, where the savages were sort of curved down in the center, the new ones have flat bars on risers. And the speedo is part of the gas tank instead of being a gauge on the bars. Other than that, they're almost entirely unchanged. I really liked mine a lot, I sold it though because I wanted something that did highways more comfortably.

Hey. You'll be ok. If you get one thing out of this post, TAKE THE MSF COURSE. If you have room for one more piece of advice, yes, the bike has a lot of power, and it's in no way considered a starter bike, but YOU CONTROL THE THROTTLE. Take it easy, take your time, learn the skills it takes to ride, it's not how fast you can go, it's how you handle the bike. Now please give my little brother that advice, maybe he'd listen to you and not his big sis.

I do this quite frequently while waiting for my MSF course. I thought it was silly at first, but surprisingly, it has helped me feel more comfortable managing the weight of my bike and maneuvering it with the engine off.

really though, read up on the MSF course and go duplicate some of their exercises in a parking lot. Get used to how it handles at low speeds. Pick a clear spot and goose it just so you know what if feels like, and then forget how to do that once you get on the road ;)

Same bike as mine, I bought the first one in Texas back in September. It is not a bike to be trifled with! It's got gobs of power, and the handling is fantastic! Which tires did your bike come with? Mine came with Bridgestones, I hear some come with Dunlops...

I'm not him so I can't answer your first question, but I wanted to second the suggestion for the 250. Ninja's are rock solid, and you'll learn far faster on a Ninja 250 than an FZ-09. Learning's the only thing that'll save your life, in the long run :P

Also, after you've taken the course and gotten in some parking lot time, for the love of god, find some curving/winding roads and hit them as often as you can. Riding stop-and-go traffic on straight roads doesn't get you any "real" experience learning how to control your bike. Take the curves slow, and build up speed until you are comfortable with the weight and balance of your bike. It'll help a lot.

I went in without ever riding a manual motorbike before, although I do drive a manual car so I knew what i was doing. At the end of the course I could definitely ride a bike home, or anywhere I wanted to go without any incident. But, taking a course isn't substitute for road hours, you need to practice riding to really become comfortable and proficient on the bike.

While i do think 250's are a good starter bike, i feel 650's are better. They have good power, are easy to handle, and good smooth power delivery. And the better you get, the more you can push it. Whereas a 250, once you get to a point, you are left wanting more. Usually in a year or less; depending on how much you ride. Go for a ninja 650 or suzuki SV650.

Being skinny is the least of your worries when riding. Valentino Rossi (moto gp legend) is about 5'10" 140lbs. All the motogp guys are lean. Holding a bike up at a light is nothing. I'm 5'11 200lbs and I've dropped my 333lb 250cc because it was too damn heavy and the angle/where I was standing was weird. If you're worried about dropping the bike just get frame sliders.

It has been a long time, but I have. Much less peaky. Torque all the way from idle. It really feels completely different than a 600 power wise. Like going from a Honda with VTEC to a diesel motor that just doesn't stop revving.

Not even that. We just pulled it right into the garage; my driveway is really steep so we have to pull it all the way in. I'm supposed to get my helmet sometime tomorrow, though, and hopefully a permit.

I didn't take the course when I started, and I regret that now! I took it after riding for about 5 years, and I was completely amazed at how they got you up and riding quickly & safely, even if you'd never sat on a bike before. They taught skills in one weekend that had taken me a much longer time to learn without the course, and quite a few safety related / control techniques that I didn't know. I was completely impressed. After that experience, I highly recommend it to anyone who's just starting out. Be smarter than I was!!!

Also, it might be a good idea to try and get into a track school and/or take this bike to a track to practice. This is an incredibly powerful bike, and you will need to know how to handle it properly. I came from a Ninja 300, and this thing still scares the shit out of me at just a quarter throttle pull. Seriously, heed what everyone else here is saying, and keep it in B mode for at least a week or two.

I should probably mention that I don't necessarily think it's "instant death" to start on a bike this powerful. Anyone that can ride can ride any bike. It's really all in how you've learned to moderate your reactions to things. If OP accidentally pins the throttle or pops the clutch on this thing, the error is going to cost a lot more in terms of negative effects than if he was on something like a CBR500 or Ninja650, neither of which I would consider to be beginner bikes either. I am one of those people that insist on training and safety gear, and taking pride in progressive learning. Maybe I'm the minority. I don't understand why some people get so virulent about starting on large bikes. You can start out used and recoup almost all your money if you buy a popular in-demand model like Ninja 250s or motards.

Since H-D has such a large share of the market, and their bikes are typically over 1000cc in displacement, the crashes they represent are going to skew these results. A lot of those high displacement crashes are refelcting H-D's explosive sales to middle aged, inexperienced riders. Since they're pretty low on actual usable power, I don't think this graph represents what we all want it to represent.

50 cc isn't considered a motorbike in europe, up until a couple years ago you didn't need a license to drive 50 cc's (The netherlands). And when looking at motorcycle's: the 125 cc range is coming back in The netherlands, because of new regulations considering driving tests and age. But on average I'd say most bikes here are between 250-1000 cc's (again, in The Netherlands).

No I'm wondering (again without really looking at the stats) if the smaller bikes are "safer" because people who get the bigger ones just tend to ride a lot more aggressively.

I'm saying the stats can only support the "smaller bikes for beginners" argument if it is noted that everyone who is one of those statistics are new riders (or riders of the same skill level) to make that factor a constant and illustrate that it's truly "the size of the bike" that plays such a huge role.

You are questioning whether the correlation is indeed causation, which is very valid. It is very possible that the more aggressive people ride larger bikes. However, it will be very difficult to separate out this factor in the statistics. Further, you could make an argument that bigger bikes make people more aggressive. It's 50/50 which is the case with OP.

At some point though, you have to just say, ok statistically this is more likely to happen. You can drill down infinitely if you're looking at statistics.

I didn't look at the source but that graph doesn't take into account rider skill. For all we know that sub 500cc range is all new riders. It also doesn't take into account how many more people ride in the 500 to 1000 cc range.

That was the whole point, that new riders probably shouldn't buy bikes in the 500-1000cc range. In Australia we have LAMS bikes (learner approved motorcycle scheme), these are bikes that are <=660cc and have a power to weight ratio under 150kw/tonne. This allows bigger riders to get on bigger bikes, but not get onto superbikes.

I agree that four years is too long, but don't underestimate the fun you can have on a LAMS bike. After having motorcycles for my only transport for 8 years, I'm back on a LAMS bike (actually I don't think it's LAMS registered, but it could be). Most of the supermoto style bikes are LAMS approved.

In other words, the majority of deaths are from race replica 600cc/1000cc motorbikes.

I am certain that this is because these bikes are RACE. REPLICAS. Their throttle response at high revs is unpredictable, UNLIKE OP's FZ09. There is a massive difference between a powerful race replica and a powerful road bike.

Again, this major factor seems to be ignored by the pansy "omfg start at 125cc or you'll die" crowd."

Also, reduced power modes due to electronics. How much power does the FZ09 produce in "B" mode?

I don't know how Yamaha do it but i have had GSXR's on a dyno before and the only difference between B and A mode's is the curve, they still make the same power in both modes just A gets there quicker and sharper.

I'm not sure why people say the unpredictable throttle response is what causes you to crash. I'm sure most crashes are more due to rider error at high speeds. In first gear, redlining will bring you over the speed limit on a race replica. Really, I think it's how easy it is to speed on a bike that makes it dangerous.

That's nice for you, but starting on a bike that powerful is a terrible idea. It will take so much longer for you to learn how to actually control the thing when every time you ride you have to baby the throttle and we overly careful of every input.

I guarantee you that a guy who starts out on a Ninja 250 or something and rides for a year will be able to ride circles around this guy after a year of riding this FZ09.

Semi-related: You can't understand completely the limits and how a bike (or automobile) can handle until you take it to a track.

I never babied the throttle. Again, linear torque production, do you understand it? A non race replica bike's throttle response is very, very predictable, even if it produces massive power.

Even with my bike's vboost, babying the throttle was never necessary. For the FZ09, it has lower power modes for OP if he so desires. Hm, I wonder why none of the "start on a small bike" pansies mention this? Maybe because it flies in the face of their predetermined beliefs?

For me personally, I was dragging pegs within 4 months of riding, although my pegs are pretty damn low. Before a year was up, I was dragging the stock exhaust with a passenger on the road. I can't know the limits of my bike without going to a track? Really?

Big differences between race replicas and non replicas you seem to be ignoring.

Except that the fist paragraph is utter bollocks and the rest is just him denying basic common sense by assuming his one experience is the rule.
Oh and then his last sentence is just him using one fact to boost his already pointless argument...if that was all there was to riding a larger bike, a linear power curve then this whole topic would have been finalised long ago when this kid was still swimming in his dad's balls.

I rode a bike once... a dirt bike. Seriously, though, I don't have much money and I didn't want to have to buy a bike more than once. I really am afraid that it'll be too much for me, though. I'll just have to be very careful.

Older used bikes hold their value. You could buy a $1500 bike and turn around and sell it 6mo - 1yr later for the same exact price. You can't really use the fiscal responsibility argument for buying a new bike. Especially as a beginner, you'll discover what you actually like about a year or two in.

No worries OP. I started on a Yamaha DT125 for about a month before getting bored, got a 650 for about 3 months before finally settling on my 1300 XJR. Not a pretty bike but it's what I can afford here (just for reference, Ducati starts at $35,000 here). Just be smart about it and treat her nicely, she can kill you very quick.

You'll be fine. Don't pay too much attention to the fear mongering circlejerk from this sub.

Yes, you should respect the bike's power, but fear will cause you to go down, especially if you are inexperienced. For example, when you take a turn more quickly than you're comfortable with, if you allow fear to grip you you'll grab a handful of brakes and go down. Respect the bike, don't be afraid of it.

If you were concerned about money buying a brand new 850cc bike is a horrible idea. You're instantly going to lose money due to depreciation right off the lot and then another hit when you inevitably drop it in parking lot because it's your first bike. When I sold my Ninja 250 I got back $300 more than I paid for it, bought in the winter when prices were low and sold at the peak of riding season here.

Little late for all that now though. My advice now would be to take the MSF and maybe even buy a smaller POS bike to learn on.

edit: However once you learn how to ride properly. This bike is the tits. So much torque.

Someone with little money doesn't buy new. Bikes with 4k miles (read: pretty much brand new) can be had for less than half the price. And drop this thing once and its value will plummet even more. And as a new rider, you have the greatest chance of losing your balance, not putting the sidestand down correctly, etc.

This purchase wasn't driven by financial reasons. But listen, who doesn't enjoy a brand new toy.

Do your parents a favor and don't go on any group rides with anyone for at least a year. Buy some gear (gloves, pants, boots). And take the MSF.

STOP telling this guy he is going to drop his bike. 10+ people told him that already. Pretty sure he has already gathered that he is going to drop his bike, and die in the next 2 weeks. It's coming off as pretty negative advice overall. Try to provide constructive criticism (the MSF course recommendations are good tho).

Here's something for you OP:

You sound like you are careful and treating this bike like its your firstborn, so that's a good start. Once you begin to feel comfortable on the bike, stop thinking that, and get uncomfortable again. When you start to feel like you got it, that's when most people make mistakes. Take it easy, and treat it with respect and you will be fine.

I started riding a 600rr right after taking an MSF course and I was fine. Never dropped a bike in my life. However, I will say, that I doubt I would have had the same experience without the MSF course. They really teach you some good shit, its fun as a new rider, and you get your license at the end.

Also, your learning curve WILL be a bit slower than a dude on a lighter, less powerful bike. But don't worry, it wont be more than 3 months worth of riding time before you're as equally comfortable on a 1000, 600, or 250.

The closest calls I've had on my bike are when I think to myself "This will be cake" and then I fuck up.

Your more than likely going to drop it or crash, it happens to nearly everyone. It's a lot easier to take the pain of dropping a 2000-3000 dollar 250 than a 7-10k dollar 600+.

On a 250 mid corner you can just about floor the gas and not have any issues, on a 600-1000 you can't. A 250 absorbs more throttle mistakes and a bunch of braking mistakes without biting you like a 600 would simply because its so under powered and lacks the high power dual rotor braking of a 600+

I started on a GS500 and dropped it a ton and loved that damn bike. I got my 600 and have since had a pretty bad spill on it and cry myself to sleep every night.

just comes down to knowing your limits. throttle response and power output on my r6 were fine for learning how to ride a sport bike. 2-6k rpm was a nice little rumble. nothing too dangerous. 6-10k it wakes up and you start pulling something mean. over 10 it starts to throw you back again. feel out the bike and take your time. think a little before you do something and you will be fine. i agree with you dude.

Take the two day MSF course. They will teach you the very basics of riding. In GA, if you complete the course, then you can go to the DMV and turn in your certificate for a CM drivers license. Pretty sweet deal.

I bought a brand new SV650S as my first bike, having no license and also never ridden before. The SV currently has 20k incident free miles on her, and a literbike parked next to her with 10k of also incident-free fun. Just use your head, and DO NOT RIDE WITH YOUR IDIOT FRIENDS!

Beautiful bike. Don't listen to the haters on here that it's not a good first bike. You will be fine! However I strongly recommend the motorcycle safety foundation course. It's a low cost class and they provide you a motorcycle to as part of the class. They don't care and almost expect you to drop their loaner bike. Completing the course also gets you your license from the state. Many dealers offer the class for a couple hundred bucks - usually the state also offers the class for 25-50 bucks.

If you aren't stupid - you aren't likely to have some high speed wipeout just because you bought a 900cc bike. However I would say you are almost 100% likely to fall over in a parking lot or while doing some other low speed maneuver and scratch up your bike.

My friend bought a brand new bike like this - went out to the church parking lot beside his house and immediately had a 3mph crash. He obviously wasn't hurt but the bike was. I say don't even sit on it until you take the MSF course.

Sweet bike. Getting a little $1500 Craigslist beater and riding it for a while to get your bearings would be well worth the investment, especially if you sell it afterwards, you could probably sell it for the same. You don't want to lay down a bike you like.

Bought a bike you can't even ride? And an 850cc bike that weighs 400 pounds soaking wet and has 114 hp. Yeah you are a winner. Sorry, I am just bitter because I have been drooling over that bike waiting for the responsible time to buy it while riding my shitty honda rebel through the cold and rain. You ever tried starting a carbureted engine in freezing cold? Yeah it's not fun. Just don't be another statistic and kill yourself or lay that beautiful thing over.

I second that. I've been riding mine back and forth to work all month, probably get in a few more trips before the end of the month. When I leave in the afternoon, maybe 36-40ºF, fires right up after 2-3 kicks. Starts even easier for the ride home at night, usually between 20-25ºF. And mine has 4 carbs.

Some carbureted bikes are just bitches in the cold, clean carbs or not. Re-jetting doesn't really make sense unless you've modified the intake/exhaust or know for a fact that the bike was lean from the factory.

I agree that many times when people are having trouble starting in the cold it's because of something preventable, but to say that all bikes start equally well in the cold if in proper tune is just plain wrong. Are you trying to say that you're smarter than the Japanese engineers who designed the carbs?

considering all my Japanese bikes with Japanese carburetors have started just as well in the winter as they did in the summer I just don't think the engineers' intelligence is in question. Smarter than you? Maybe...not enough information yet. Smarter than a lot of other riders? Probably.

If you can show me a bike that starts fine in the summer but not in the winter, is in perfect tune with a perfect charging system, I'll show you a bike that is either broken or in the Arctic Circle.

Yeah I don't know what re-jetting or cleaning cost. But the bike was free and just needs to last me until February when I can buy a new bike, but now it is looking like I might deploy so who knows when I will be able to buy a new bike. Either way I don't see the point in putting money into a bike that I will be getting rid of as soon as I can.

I feel as dumb as I look buying this bike. Could you blame me, though? I love it. I don't want to be an idiot, and I definitely don't want to damage the bike. I almost want to just keep it in the perfect, zero-mile state that it's in.

Don't let them get to you man, I did the same thing. I bought a CBR600 as a first bike. Just take the MSF course, and take it slow. Respect the bike and it's power, and wear some gear.
Gear is cheap, hospital bills aren't.

Honestly. Don't think even for a second that you made a wrong choice. This bike is amazing. It's an incredible value and if you can afford it, fuck it. As others have said it is powerful but it is a triple so has a very even and predictable powerband. Take the basic MSF course and then 6 months from now take the advanced course. Baby the bike the first 1000 miles to get used to how it feels and to let it get used to being used. I hope to join the FZ-09 Club in February and we can be two noobs on street-fighters together. Hopefully, I don't want to pay an ass ton for insurance so I might end up getting something a little more tame.

TL;DR: Awesome bike man. The world is jealous and you will love to ride. Just be smart, wear gear, take the safety courses, for yourself and for everyone who loves you and wants to not ever see you in a hospital or morgue. Pro-tip, Next time someone tries to tell you how dangerous a motorcycle is, tell them that, statistically, it is equally as dangerous to drive your own personal car instead of taking public transportation as it is to ride a motorcycle instead of driving a car.

I started on the same bike, you'll be fine, just take it easy and never push it, as long as you always feel comfortable you will be fine, wait a while before you start pushing it in the corners and stuff.

I do own them...the things I bought do not lose value (well the Evo X a LITTLE bit and the FD RX-7 actually appreciates) so I see it as putting down a deposit to play with them for a while, then sell later.

huh.. very insightful even though it was more info than i wanted. thanks though.

i just think it's kind of "poser-ish" to put cars in your /r/motorcycle flair. I mean, it's not global flair or anything. IMO, you should just stick with your bikes and location (if you like). In the worst case, someone might conclude that you are trying to make up for some personal shortcomings by advertising all the vehicles you own. But it's your life, so do what you will.

I frequent /r/cars and /r/autos and find a lot of people that like both (I have my bikes on there)... I wish it was all just one subreddit so it'd be more convenient to chat up about the things we all like...this isn't like I list out my toys on /r/askreddit or something.

Is the someone that's concluding about my shortcomings perhaps you? I love these things and I like talking about them with other people that like them, why not?

Someone might conclude that the person calling me out for it or calling me lying has some personal shortcomings.

Yeah I am pretty bitter. I have to accept it is just part of going on these websites full of people in different situations than me. I expect everyone to struggle like I have to get to a point where I can afford this machine. To buy all the gear, to have a bike already to get comfortable with and get some experience, to take the time to save and prepare. Just to read about some guy who bought the bike I have been planning on for months without even having a license or any training or experience. I get bitter. But I have to remind myself that all the work and time I put into this will make it all the sweeter when I finally have that machine underneath me, carrying me to my next adventure.

Honestly, I'm looking at this beautiful bike of yours, and assuming this is your first bike, I feel bad for you. You will never be able to appreciate the power of this motorcycle like someone moving up from a smaller bike would. You won't be able to appreciate the suspension, the brakes, or anything else. It will just be the same ol motorcycle you've always had. Of course you will still be impressed by the power and feel of the bike, but so much of that is diminished by having it all given to you right away. It's sex without foreplay. I feel bad for you, you've fucked yourself.

Assuming you're an American, what's the insurance situation on these bad boys? Is it what most companies consider a "super bike" or whatever they call them? I had a 650R for a while and paid $50 a month for full coverage. Full coverage on an R6 and similar "super bikes" was about $250 a month.

I'm incredibly jealous. Still waiting on mine up in NYC. Of all the 5 dealers in the area only 6 have been sold and on the same day they hit the showroom.
Be careful with that thing though, torque is insane to the point of accidental wheelies

Please. I need to know this... why are these things so cheap? I am looking to buy my first bike and I can't look away from the cost/amount of bike ratio in the FZ09.

Also: what else should I even be looking at? I like the previous gen Ducati Hypermotard, Yamaha Bolt (if I go the bobber route), and also like Supersports but realistically I think I would ride them less than something with a more comfortable riding position.